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Need help choosing a medical school!

Hi,
I'm really stuck choosing between edinburgh and birmingham for my insurance medical school. I've got offers from both, Birmingham wants AAAB (A in bio and chem) and Edinburgh wants AAA (A in bio and chem)
I'm an english female applicant and am quite undecided about the two
Birmingham seems to be a much larger medical school, and more balanced in terms of genders, whereas Edinburgh seems to have a lot more females than males.
Birmingham is a lot closer to home than Edinburgh
I love the city of edinburgh and think I'd really enjoy the opportunites there, particularly with it being a capital city, but I'm slightly worried about the possibility of Scotland leaving the UK and what this could mean for my medical degree

Any advice + insight would be much appreciated
Original post by 123medicine
Hi,
I'm really stuck choosing between edinburgh and birmingham for my insurance medical school. I've got offers from both, Birmingham wants AAAB (A in bio and chem) and Edinburgh wants AAA (A in bio and chem)
I'm an english female applicant and am quite undecided about the two
Birmingham seems to be a much larger medical school, and more balanced in terms of genders, whereas Edinburgh seems to have a lot more females than males.
Birmingham is a lot closer to home than Edinburgh
I love the city of edinburgh and think I'd really enjoy the opportunites there, particularly with it being a capital city, but I'm slightly worried about the possibility of Scotland leaving the UK and what this could mean for my medical degree

Any advice + insight would be much appreciated


If Scotland does leave the UK it'll be a long time before the process will be decided and of course how that will affect things bigger than medical degrees. You may well have finished by then so I wouldn't worry about that at this stage. Go where you think you will be happier.
Original post by 123medicine
Hi,
I'm really stuck choosing between edinburgh and birmingham for my insurance medical school. I've got offers from both, Birmingham wants AAAB (A in bio and chem) and Edinburgh wants AAA (A in bio and chem)
I'm an english female applicant and am quite undecided about the two
Birmingham seems to be a much larger medical school, and more balanced in terms of genders, whereas Edinburgh seems to have a lot more females than males.
Birmingham is a lot closer to home than Edinburgh
I love the city of edinburgh and think I'd really enjoy the opportunites there, particularly with it being a capital city, but I'm slightly worried about the possibility of Scotland leaving the UK and what this could mean for my medical degree

Any advice + insight would be much appreciated


Hi there!

Congratulations on your med school offers!

Ultimately, both medical schools will result in a GMC-accredited degree, so the choice is dependent on which you think will suit you best - the course structure (which teaching style suits you?), location (would you prefer to be closer to home?), size of the school (would you feel more comfortable if the school was smaller?) etc. You could draw up a table with pros and cons if you're feeling especially stuck!

You might find it useful to read a blog we recently published on How to Choose Between Your Med School Offers.

Hope this helps! :smile:
The Medic Portal
Original post by 123medicine
Hi,
I'm really stuck choosing between edinburgh and birmingham for my insurance medical school. I've got offers from both, Birmingham wants AAAB (A in bio and chem) and Edinburgh wants AAA (A in bio and chem)
I'm an english female applicant and am quite undecided about the two
Birmingham seems to be a much larger medical school, and more balanced in terms of genders, whereas Edinburgh seems to have a lot more females than males.
Birmingham is a lot closer to home than Edinburgh
I love the city of edinburgh and think I'd really enjoy the opportunites there, particularly with it being a capital city, but I'm slightly worried about the possibility of Scotland leaving the UK and what this could mean for my medical degree

Any advice + insight would be much appreciated


You seem to have given this a lot of good thought, and unfortunately no one can really make this decision for you other than yourself! It's a tough decision, but I'd advise you visit both cities, speak to medical students already there (a good number, not just one or two) and have a look at the course structures. Consider student satisfaction as well via league tables to see if there are appreciable differences.

If Scotland leaves the UK, it won't be any time soon, and even if it was soon the uni would still be GMC accredited and your nationality wouldn't suddenly change to Scottish just because you studied there, so you'd be free of restrictions to work in England.

All the best.
I wouldn't put much stock in your degree losing currency with Scottish independence. As others have said, even if this happened, it would take many years to sort out. It seems unlikely that the UK would suddenly impose regulatory barriers on Scottish-trained doctors, dentists, nurses, etc. I suspect that - when Brexit is finished - there won't be a huge drive to impose barriers on healthcare workers from other EU countries either but there will always be a special relationship between Scotland the rest of the UK.
PS. Edinburgh is a beautiful city and would be my choice over Birmingham but don't underestimate the benefits of being close(ish) to home either. How much you are likely to need "home" will depend on your personality.
Thanks!!
Original post by MonteCristo
PS. Edinburgh is a beautiful city and would be my choice over Birmingham but don't underestimate the benefits of being close(ish) to home either. How much you are likely to need "home" will depend on your personality.

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